The predecessor of Apple Watch 33 years ago, WristMac, will be auctioned: it may fetch $50,000

The WristMac, a predecessor to the Apple Watch that debuted in 1988, is expected to fetch between $25,000 and $50,000 at auction. The watch has never been worn and still comes in its original packaging.

The WristMac is a smartwatch made by Seiko that can connect to a Mac using AppleTalk. It was first released in 1988 and was most notably favored by astronauts aboard the US space shuttle Atlantis.

The New York Times reported at the time that in 1991, Apple's first laptop, the Macintosh Portable, was installed on Atlantis for sending emails. But what is less known is that each astronaut wore a WristMac, and the way it was used was very similar to the current Apple Watch.

“When it’s time to take a photo of a particular object on Earth or in the universe, WristMac will sound an alert and display a two-line reminder of the personal task,” The New York Times wrote.

Now, an original, unused, and even unboxed WristMac is up for auction at online auction house ComicConnect.com, which is more accustomed to auctioning pop culture memorabilia, and will be accepting bids for the WristMac from November 22 to December 18, 2021.

"This is an incredible find and one of the earliest examples of wearable computing technology," said Stephen Fishler, CEO and co-founder of ComicConnect. "There have been very few WristMacs since they were first introduced more than 30 years ago, and it will probably be a few years before we come across another one."

He continued: “The WristMac is so rare that it is difficult to predict what price it would sell for at auction, and we can’t find any recent records of it being sold.”

This particular WristMac sold at a Mac Warehouse closing sale in Connecticut for less than $50, and the buyer never even opened the original packaging. Bidding on the ComicConnect website starts at $1.